Fire safety legislation
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 came into effect in England and Wales in October 2006. It requires the ‘responsible person’ in virtually all premises, except a single dwelling, to adopt a self-assessment approach to fire safety. The legislation doesn’t just apply to workplaces such as offices, hotels and factories. It also applies to the common parts of multiple dwelling such as blocks of flats and houses in multiple occupation (HMOs).
The Order places a clear emphasis on risk assessment. It means that any person who has some level of control in premises must take reasonable steps to reduce the risk from fire and make sure that people can safely escape if there is a fire.
Key fire safety order requirements
The key requirements are that the responsible person must:
- Carry out, and record, a fire risk assessment identifying any possible dangers and risks.
- Identify people, employees, visitors or members of the public on your premises, who may be especially at risk.
- Reduce, or where possible remove, the risk of fire and take precautions to deal with the remaining risks.
- Put in place protection measures if there are flammable or explosive materials used or stored on the premises.
- Develop an emergency plan should a fire occur which includes evacuation procedures.
- Regularly review the risk assessment and emergency plan.
Fire safety preparation and training
To make sure that your business complies with fire safety legislation we can carry out a fire risk assessment to identify the potential risks and measures you can put in place to ensure that you comply with the legislation.
